Sebastien Pocognoli Sites Reason for Rangers Man's Maiden Selection

Rangers are already reaping the rewards of an eventful summer transfer window, which ended with 14 new additions to the squad.

The summer additions have not only bolstered the Gers' squad, but a few have also earned their maiden caps for their national sides.

Ryan Naderi and Kim Min-su made their international debuts for the Czech Republic and South Korea, respectively, during the recent international break.

However, there were also a few unfortunate members of Derek McInnes' side who were not able to make it into the final squads of their national sides during the recent set of games.

James Penrice, one of the Gers' best performers this season so far, was also left out of Scotland manager Sebastien Pocognoli's squad previously.

Now as the Nations League fixtures draw closer, Penrice has been rewarded with his first international call-up and will join the Scottish national side camp alongside Findlay Curtis and Liam Kelly.

Following the announcement of the final squad, Pocognoli specifically talked about Penrice's selection, saying (h/t Glasgow Times), "We have a list of players that we select regarding the performance at their clubs, but also the style of play or the way that we want to play.

We have some missing players around the left side."So, combined with his quality and what we are looking for on the pitch, it's a logical choice for me, and it can be very useful for the system that we want to play."

The 27-year-old's performances so far this season have already made him a fan favourite at Ibrox.

Penrice has not only been effective in the defence but also has been equally influential in the attack for the Gers this season.

Apart from scoring once and providing three assists already this season, the left-back has recorded an xA(expected assists) of 1.33 and an xG(expected goals) of 0.47 according to FotMob's stats.

During the Gers' latest win against Aberdeen in the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup, McInnes decided to put the former Hearts full-back in the midfield alongside Nicolas Raskin, while Tuur Rommens started in Penrice's usual position at left-back.

Despite playing out of position, Penrice looked totally at home and even assisted Ryan Naderi for the Gers' winner against the Dons, taking his side to the final of the tournament, which is scheduled to take place on December 13 at Hampden Park.

But before that, the 27-year-old will look to earn his maiden Scotland cap later on this month when Pocognoli's men restart their Nations League campaign against North Macedonia at home on November 13 and then face Switzerland away on November 16.